Patricia Gannon: The real reason women don’t do sports talk

Patricia Gannon: The real reason women don’t do sports talk

With another football season upon society, women are still markedly absent from the conversation. Not from serving the snacks and cheering from the sidelines, but from the real narrative, the men in suits on the air who define what is and isn’t happening on the gridiron. These are the advisers, the consultants, the panels of pundits who speak about coaches, predictions, drafts and preseason practices.

This last bastion of maleness remains closed to female opinions, although women can contribute eons of tactics when it comes to outrunning men, dodging meaty grips, avoiding tackles and escaping a clinch. Who better than those inured to housework to understand how to pancake the quarterback, move the pile, shake and bake, and clothesline a wide receiver? Females also have an archaic connection to football, whose ancestor was played by both single and married women in medieval times. There were no rules or referees, and games often had to be outlawed to curtail the violence.

It’s not a question of chops or stamina, as women have proved they can expound at length about nothing much (“The View,” “The Talk”) and be equally as entertaining as men expounding at length over nothing much (“The Sports Reporters,” “Outside the Lines,” “The Best Damn Sports Show Period.”)

What really underlies the lack of women on sports talk shows is men’s fear of being judged. Men can bear the criticisms of other men, indeed they are brought up to take it, suck it up and walk it off. A man’s censure won’t kill, but a woman’s will: “You dropped the ball? What kind of man are you, anyway?

And there you have it. Game over.

Patricia Gannon covers society for The Acadiana Advocate. She can be reached at pgannon@cmaildrop.com or at pgannon@theadvocate.com.

Reggie Jones does Lafayette layover

What a man. Former NFL player Reggie Jones crossed paths with Kiki Frayard at a boutique book signing, one brief stop on his Stilettos on Gridiron: Women Getting a Feel for the Game tour. The ex-cornerback turned motivational speaker seemed totally at ease among the high-end accessories. “My mom never understood football past touchdown and first down,” said Jones. “I knew they (women) would be a good market, and I ran with it.” In his book, Jones compares football teams to relationships and says they parallel one another. “For a successful team, you want two team players,” he explained. “What you often get is a team player and a selfish player or two selfish players.” Currently based in Memphis, Jones plans to promote his book outside the U.S, including the UK. “They love American football,” he said.

Petroleum Club hosts kickoff luncheon

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RCAF rallies at the Cajundome

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